Title: Cultural Policy and Cultural Industries Discourse and The
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wits Institutional Repository on DSPACE University of the Witwatersrand Title: Cultural policy and cultural industries discourse and the framing of film industry policies and strategies Masters of Arts Research Report submitted for the fulfilment of a Masters of Arts degree by coursework Department: Wits University School of Arts Candidate: Johanna Mavhungu Student Number: 9713828p Supervisor: Ms Avril Joffe Date: 14 February 2014 Word count: 24999 words 0 Table of Contents Abstract: ..................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 2. Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 11 3. Literature Review ............................................................................................................. 14 i. Cultural Policy in South Africa ................................................................................... 21 ii. Cultural Industries ....................................................................................................... 24 4. Research discussion on Institutional formation, policy implementation, funding and transformation .......................................................................................................................... 33 i. Institutional formation and policy implementation....................................................... 33 a. Contextualising the film industry .............................................................................. 41 ii. Funding ......................................................................................................................... 53 iii. Transformation .............................................................................................................. 62 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 74 6. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 85 1 Acronyms Arts and Culture Task Group (ACTAG) African National Congress (ANC) Black Filmmakers Network (BFN) Creative/ Cultural Industries (CI) Creative Industries Development Framework (CIDF) Cultural Industries Growth Strategy (CIGS) Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) Department of Communications (DoC) Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Economic Development Unit (EDU) Gauteng Economic Development Agency (GEDA) Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Information Communication Technology (ICT) Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) National Academy for the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa (NA CISA) National Arts and Culture (NAC) National Council of Provinces (NCOP) National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) Request for Proposals (RFP) Small Medium Enterprises (SME) Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) 2 South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (The White Paper) World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) 3 Abstract: Cultural policy in South Africa is critical in shaping government priorities for supporting the cultural industries. Since 1994 cultural policy has been informed by democratic principles of redress, accountability, freedom of expression, access and inclusiveness – diversity and multiplicity as well as economic development articulated in the cultural industries strategy. The research examines the discourse of cultural industries and the framing of the film industry by reviewing both cultural industries and film industry strategies and policy. The research applies Throsby’s (2010) concept of balancing between cultural and economic value in the cultural industries. The value of the film industry in South Africa is measured using indicators that mainly assess economic growth within the value chain. The important value measured emphasises the number of films produced and box office returns versus the attainment of the principles of the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (1996) as mentioned, therefore, what is neglected when we don’t measure the cultural value? 4 1. Introduction Cultural policy, creative and cultural industries research studies started at the dawn of democracy in South Africa 1993-1994, to seek strategies for change, growth of the economy and a new cultural dispensation. The Arts and Culture Task Group known as ACTAG developed the White Paper on Arts and Culture (1996), which is still a leading cultural policy document for arts, culture and heritage and herein this research report referred to as ‘The White Paper’. Subsequently, the Cultural Industries Growth Strategy (CIGS) research in 1997 was conducted into cultural industries, which included a chapter synthesis of the four sub- sectoral reports called ‘Creative South Africa’ (1998). These were key developments that contributed strategic direction for government intervention in the cultural industries space. An important recommendation of the CIGS - was the establishment of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to harness the growth of film in South Africa, the NFVF forms part of the central focus in this research report. Existing government policies, strategies and policy implementation initiatives at various levels of government are examined in relation to Throsby’s (2010) theories about economic and cultural value. Reference is made to cultural policy and strategies within the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and NFVF at a national level, Gauteng Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) and Gauteng Film Office (GFC) at a provincial level. The theory posited by Throsby (2010) interrogates the discourse of cultural industries from a cultural economics perspective and offers an analysis that illustrates the value of economic analysis towards arguing for the funding of cultural industries (2010). Unlike theorists such as Hesmondhalgh (2002, 2007, 2013), Flew (2012) and others, who take an anthropological, socio-economic and political paradigm, his is based on the economics of cultural policy. 5 The research report will first work through the socio-political, economic and cultural discourse that informed the emergence of cultural policy in South Africa to provide context to the discussion. Cultural policy in South Africa was developed at the turn of the political dispensation from apartheid to democracy, the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage emphasised the values and principles of redress, nation building and reconstruction and development, which are still relevant. This research argues these values are an important part of the cultural value of cultural policy, which still has to be defined. The research will make a distinction between cultural policy, which is an overarching policy for all arts, culture and heritage such as the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (1996) and cultural industries strategy, which refers to the strategy in the cultural industries such as the Cultural Industries Growth Strategy (1998). In addition, distinctions will be drawn between cultural policy and film policy specifically such as the NFVF Act 73 of 1997. When dealing with the economics of cultural industries at a policy or implementation level it is important to separate the different functions of cultural industries products through the value-chain. The diagram below is an illustration from research into the creative industry (for instance Joffe, 2005) which depicts a basic film industry value-chain: 6 Figure 1: Film industry value-chain (Joffe and Newton, 2008) The advantage of using a value-chain analysis model is that it segments the various industries that are the film industry from production, distribution to consumption, acknowledging that all these industries contribute to the success of the film sector. By doing this it becomes easier to locate blockages to growth (CIGS, 1998). The value-chain analysis model has been used to benchmark economic activity documented in sector research studies such as CIGS (1998), the NFVF HSRC Industry Survey (2004) and the South African Film Industry Economic Baseline Study conducted by Deloitte in 2012. These research studies are industry profiles that document the contribution of the film industry to the economy. In addition, the 7 researcher has added support received in funds or other forms of resources for the different stages of the value-chain above. It is evident that the least amount of support is seen in stage 4 and 5 for distribution and exhibition. The impact of this lack of support in the film industry will be discussed in later chapters on audience development. According to Joffe (2008) the value-chain approach has been found to be useful in showing the relationship between the ‘pure’ or traditional arts and the commercial